Organized tourist trips in the country will be possible on March 1 and from April 1 organized tourism abroad will be allowed, BTA has reported. This was what Minister of Health Kostadin Angelov announced at a meeting with branch organizations. By the beginning of the summer season, a mass vaccination of those employed in the tourism sector will be carried out, the minister said.

Restaurants will reopen on March 1 with a capacity of 50%, with up to 6 people at a table and working time until 11 pm, Minister of Tourism Mariana Nikolova said after the meeting. Restrictions on working hours will be lifted on April 1, Richard Alibegov chairman of the Bulgarian Association of Catering Establishments said. From March 1, congress events will be restored at 30 percent occupancy.

We are about to hold a serious discussion regarding the return of people to their regular workplace. People will find it difficult to readapt to the traditional working environment, as it was difficult for them to shift to remote work, because they have built new habits, said for BTA the National Secretary of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria and expert in labor law Todor Kapitanov.

According to a survey conducted by Eurofound, the share of employees working from home is 30%, whereas in 2017 only 3.5% of them worked from home. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the processes witnessed in the past 10 years, Todor Kapitanov went on to say.

Various surveys indicate that 70% of the employees are reluctant to return to the office. It is not clear yet whether this is due to fear of Covid-19 infection, or new habits, commented Todor Kapitanov.